Gayhead Elementary School 15 Entry Road
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
Tel.: 845-227-1756
Fax.: 845-227-1764
JUNE 2011
From Mr. Olavarría
Dear Parents and Guardians:
The 2010-2011 school year has flown by. It has been
extremely enjoyable working with all of you.
Gayhead School is very fortunate to have two
parent/teacher organizations that do a magnificent
job, accomplish so much and demonstrate sincere
commitment to the students. I‘d like to sincerely
thank Mrs. Bukofsky, President of Gayhead‘s PTA,
and members of the PTA Board. In addition, we
would like to acknowledge the efforts of Mrs. Lewis
as our arts in education chairperson. Without her
passion and dedication to our students, the terrific
programs she helped to arrange for would not have
been possible for our children.
Special thanks also to our School Leadership Team,
composed of parents and teachers, especially Mrs.
Yeager and Mrs. McHenry for their leadership of the
SLT. Some highlights of their accomplishments and
programs this year were – Citizen the Month
Program, Twenty-Five Book Campaign and the
purchase of hundreds of books for all our grade
levels--the main goal was for teachers to have
additional resources to reinforce their mini-lessons.
Additional thanks go out to the members of the Bully
Prevention Committee and the Math Problem of the
Month Committee.
Our PTA and SLT work very hard to bring the best
possible educational experiences to the children at
Gayhead. The energy, enthusiasm, dedication and
creativity of these two groups have benefited our
school immensely.
As we look forward to the warm, summer months, I
encourage you to help your children keep learning
during the vacation. Our district-wide Summer
Reading Program offers an exciting way to build and
strengthen your child‘s reading skills. Look for that
coming home in the next few weeks. In addition, we
are fortunate to live in an area with abundant cultural
opportunities. Experiencing these rich sites can be
fun and enjoyable as well. Please try to visit the
beautiful Mount Gulian Historic Site, Madam Brett
Homestead, Vanderbilt Mansion, FDR Homesite,
Locust Grove—the former home of Samuel Morse.
Another wonderful day trip might be to Muscoot Farm
off 684 in Katonah. These are all wonderful landmarks
close by. The grounds are beautiful for picnicking
and hiking.
I extend to you my sincere thanks for another
exciting, productive and happy school year. I am
looking forward to an even better 2011-12 school year.
As always, if you have any questions concerning your
child‘s progress, please call your child‘s teacher at
school (227-1756).
In the meantime, you have my best wishes for
wonderful summer!!
Sincerely,
José Olavarría
Principal
If you would like to receive weekly bulletins, latest
information about special events at our building, and
notification about school delays & cancellations via
e-mail, please subscribe to Gayhead School News by
visiting http://groups.google.com/group/gayhead-
school-news.
You may also access the registration screen for
Gayhead School News by clicking on the link found
on our school website.
Dear Gayhead Families and Friends,
I wanted to let you know that I have accepted a principal position in the
Hendrick Hudson School District and will start July 1st. I will miss working with
all of you but leave happily knowing the great work of our staff members,
parents and children will continue.
Thank you for a memorable two years at Gayhead. I learned so much in my first
administrative position and have grown in the position with your assistance. All
of the accomplishments I am proud of were made possible by your support and
efforts at home. As I have stated in each of the citizen of the month letters, I
feel that together we succeeded in shaping and strengthening our children‘s
character. In addition, we have done a great job providing them with the skills
needed for future success.
On a personal note, my wife and I moved into our first home and we would soon
welcome our first child Avery into the world while I was at Gayhead. For each
of these experiences, you were very supportive and interested. It was a
pleasure coming to work each day to work with your children, interacting with
you and creating ways to make Gayhead even better.
Thanks again for all of your support and all that you do!
Sincerely,
Joshua S. Cohen
Assistant Principal
GAYHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL June 2011 PAGE 2
GAYHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL June 2011 PAGE 3
Let‘s Move!
By Anthony Miceli and Daniel Hicks from Room #39
Michelle Obama is encouraging school kids to move more.
Gayhead‘s P.E teacher, Mrs. Boccini, went to a conference in California because of our participation in Jump
Rope for Heart. The students from San Diego and Coronado schools were demonstrating some physical
activities they do at their schools, and some of the celebrities participated in the activities alongside the
students. All schools and students are encouraged to MOVE MORE every day! There were a few celebrities like
Drew Brees, Carl Lewis, and Dave Winfield, who attended the AAHPERD (Physical Education Association),
National Convention in San Diego, California.
Local students from San Diego schools and Coronado schools are participating in LET’S MOVE! Students are
encouraged to run, jump rope, and exercise more. In early May, students and teachers from Gayhead
participated in the Let‘s Move campaign.
GAYHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL June 2011 PAGE 4
The first grade students from room 10 and three special
guests from room 9 learned all about the science of
bubbles in a videoconference with the New York Hall of
Science.
First we discussed what we already knew about bubbles.
[ [
The teacher from the museum then asked us to blow air through
our straws into plain water and asked us to observe what happens.
We did and then we talked about what we observed. Then we did
the same, only we used soapy water.
What a difference the soap made! We observed that the bubbles
were bigger, lasted longer, that there were more bubbles, and we
could notice rainbows in the bubbles. We learned that the
rainbows were made by reflected light.
It was a wonderful learning experience and we are creating a lab
report on Comic Life on the laptops.
Have a Healthy Summer! From Gayhead‘s Health Office Staff
Summer Sun
Here are some tips for
managing the summer sun:
UV Rays are strongest in the middle of the day.
Plan indoor activities at that time or look for
shade to prevent sunburn.
Cover the skin with a shirt AND sunscreen to
avoid sunburn!
Wear a hat – preferably one that covers the neck
and ears. When wearing a baseball style hat,
remember to apply sunscreen to the neck and
ears.
Sunglasses protect eyes from UV rays. Look for
sunglasses that wrap around and block nearly
100% of UV rays. Use sunscreen! Use a
sunscreen with at least a SPF of 15 and UVA/UVB
protection. This information and more is available
at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/
chooseyourcover/guide.htm.
Vaccine Information
Summer is a good time to be sure
that your child‘s immunizations
are up to date! Students entering
Kindergarten – Grade 12 in New
York State require the following vaccinations:
DTaP 3 doses (4 doses for NYC
students)
Tdap
(booster)
1 dose if born on or after 1/1/94
& entering grades 6-10
Polio (IPV or
OPV)
3 doses
MMR 2 doses of measles, 1 dose
mumps, rubella
Hepatitis B 3 doses
Varicella 1 dose if born on or after 1/1/98
or born on or after 1/1/94 and
entering 6th grade
Tdap 1 dose if born on or after 1/1/94
and entering grades 6-10
Summer Water Safety
When protecting kids while swimming, most
parents think about life jackets, swimming lessons
and childproofing their pool. However, swimming
in pools, lakes or waterparks that are
contaminated with germs can cause recreational
water illnesses (RWIs) such as: Giardia, Pink
Eye, Swimmer’s Ear and Molluscum
Contagiosum. Some simple steps can keep
everyone safe while swimming. In addition to
teaching your child to not swallow water when
swimming or playing in the water, you can help
keep your child and everyone else healthy in the
water if you: * Keep your child out of the water when he has an open
wound, diarrhea, pink eye, hepatitis A or other
contagious diseases;
* Don‘t share pool or beach towels;
* Take younger children to the bathroom frequently so
that they are less likely to have accidents in the water;
keep in mind that swim diapers and swim pants are not
leakproof-check--change them frequently for infants
and toddlers who aren‘t yet potty trained.
* Don‘t change diapers by the pool. Instead, take your
child to the bathroom to change his diaper--then wash
your child‘s bottom well and wash your hands too.
Head Lice Alert
Head lice reach a peak time for infestation during
the summer because of overnight camps, slumber
parties and vacations.
Consider checking your child‘s head for the
presence of lice regularly during the summer and
several times the week before school reopens.
Information about identifying lice can be found at: http://healthgate.partners.org/browsing/LearningCenter
.asp?fileName=11818.xml&title=Head%20Lice
GAYHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL June 2011 PAGE 5
News from the PE Department:
Summer Safety
During the month of June we will cover our Stranger Danger
curriculum in all physical education classes. Below are some areas
that we covered; we recommend that you review them with your child.
We also reviewed fire safety, and encouraged the children to discuss
their individual plan at home. In grades 3- 5 we discuss Internet
safety, so please remind your child of your family rules.
We all need to work together to teach children how to protect themselves. Have a safe summer!
1. Keep them safe indoors: Make sure children know their complete home address, telephone
number and parents‘ first and last names. Children should know how to call 911.
2. Keep them safe outdoors: Parents should know their child‘s route to and from school or
activities, and insist that a child never take shortcuts. Teach children never to go anywhere
with anyone without parental permission. Parents should teach children to run away from
someone who is bothering them, and while doing so, yell to attract as much attention as
possible. If followed by a car, or if a stranger gets out of a vehicle and asks for directions,
children should be taught to run away and yell.
3. Teach your child about predators‘ tricks: Predators use tricks. Teach your child to recognize
the common methods of luring, including bribes (such as money, toys or the promise of something
the child would want), requests for help (―My puppy ran away! Will you help me look for it?‖) or threats.
4. Develop a code word: Teach your child a ―code word‖, if someone other than a parent needs to
pick up the child unexpectedly, this person needs to know the ―code word‖ before the child
agrees to leave with him or her.
5. Know the risks: Statistically, your child is most likely to be harmed by an adult they know, rather
than a stranger. A child should know what the family safety rules are and what the proper roles
are for adults in his or her life.
6. Teach kids how to say ‗no!‘ Kids have the right to say ―no!‖ — and loudly — if anyone touches them
in a way that is uncomfortable.
Taken from http://www.parentmap.com/content/view/1244/110/
GAYHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL June 2011 PAGE 6
It‘s safer with two,
your buddy and you!
The students and teachers witnessed the fawn taking its first steps and momma doe licked them both clean.
Gayhead‘s second grade classes attended a Pond Study Workshop, given by an educator from the Mid Hudson
Children's Museum. Here are some of the highlights:
A week ago or so, one of the local does had two fawns
right here on the Gayhead property. One of our
teachers was out with the class and was able to
capture some pictures of the baby fawn and proud
mom that visited.
Students also used microscopes, and a slide
projector to observe pond water that came
from a local pond.
Using scientific tools, including hand lenses, they learned about the plants and insects they observed.
The children and even created art that was
inspired by their observations.
GAYHEAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL June 2011 PAGE 8
Upcoming Field Trips
6/2 All 5th Grades are visiting
Liberty Science Center in NJ today
6/16 All 4th Grades will be going to
Albany, State Capital, Empire
State Plaza and the
New York State Senate
and New York State Museum
- 7:15-5:30
Here are some bike safety rules to
review: Stop at all stop signs and signal when turning.
Bicyclists should respect pedestrians in crosswalks.
Bicycles go with the traffic flow, not against it.
Helmets are required by state law for those under age 14,
but should be worn by everyone.
Bicycles need to stay as far to the right on the road as they
can get
The use of headphones and music players should be
discouraged while riding bicycles – it doesn‘t make
Good common sense - if it‘s that important to listen to, then
stop
JUNE 2010
1 NYS Science Assessment for 4th Gr.
2 5th Grade Field Trip to Liberty Sci.
6 1st Grade Picnic
7 3rd Grade Field Day
8 4th Grade Field Day
9 5th Grade Field Day
PTA Meeting 6:45 pm
15 5th Grade Picnic
16 4th Grade Field Trip to Albany
17 Math Carnival
21 No morning kindergarten on 6/21;
the afternoon kindergarten will
attend at the morning session time.
21, 22, 23 Early Dismissal at 11:30 am for
all grades
.
22 Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony at
John Jay High School 9:45 am
23 Last full day of school
Report cards go home
Have a Magnificent…